MODIS Terra Raw Radiance Measurements in Near Real Time

MODIS Level-1A data provides raw detector counts for all 36 spectral bands at 250 m, 500 m, or 1 km resolutions. The Near Real Time product contains formatted engineering, spacecraft ancillary data, and quality indicators for missing pixels and instrument modes. It is produced by the LANCEMODIS organization from the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite.

Use Cases

• Calibrate higher-level MODIS products using the raw detector counts and engineering data from all 36 spectral bands.
• Analyze diurnal cycles by comparing daytime measurements from bands 1-36 with night-mode data collected only from bands 20-36.
• Assess data quality and instrument performance by leveraging the embedded quality indicators for missing or bad pixels.
• Develop scene classification models using the combination of Earth view, solar diffuser, SRCA, black body, and space view detector data.

Strengths

• Contains data for all 36 MODIS spectral bands, enabling multi-spectral analysis.
• Includes multiple detector view types: Earth, solar diffuser, SRCA, black body, and space view.
• Provides data at three spatial resolutions: 250 meters, 500 meters, and 1 kilometer.

Limitations

• Visible, SWIR, and NIR band measurements are only available during daytime, limiting nocturnal analysis for those wavelengths.
• The raw radiance data in counts requires significant calibration and processing to derive geophysical variables.
• Specific sample size, temporal coverage, and update recency are unknown from the provided description.

Provenance

Source

MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite, processed by LANCEMODIS.

Collection Method

Raw instrument data in packetized form is reversibly transformed to a computer data structure with added ancillary data and quality indicators.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Near Real Time (NRT), but specific latency or update frequency is null.

Geography

Global swath coverage from the Terra satellite orbit.